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"But I've always done art, and I always wished I could do more," Matthews says. A house in Walla Walla with a big basement gave him opportunity. After setting up a woodworking studio and embarking on a brief but highly successful career as a custom furniture maker, Matthews turned his talents to creating the works now on display in his museum.
At first glance, the Museum of Un-Natural History's collection seems like a lighthearted assemblage of unusual artifacts, but a closer look reveals far more. All of Matthews' works have complex underlying themes derived from personal experience. The animal restraint devices dangling from "Without Sanctuary" evoke the inhumanity of human slavery. "Fool," an assemblage of masks and other artifacts recapping the artist's own career, is a thought-provoking illustration of the multiple roles everyone plays in life. Other works reflect themes from literature, current events, and technological innovation. Some, like "Chaos is All," a grand assemblage of doll heads, toy parts, found wood, and bric-a-brac covering one of the gallery's walls, are simply fascinating collages. "It proves that if you put enough stuff on a wall, it looks good," jokes Matthews.
When Matthews first opened the Museum of Un-Natural History, he sold a few pieces from the collection, and he now regrets it. "I'm trying to get them back," he says, "but so far, no luck." If it's not surprising that the owners don't want to sell, it's also easy to understand why Matthews feels the loss. His entire collection is really just one work. The Museum of Un-Natural History qualifies as a truly singular magnum opus.
Megan
Edwards
09/03
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